


Hello

by Melyaliz



Series: Feathers [2]
Category: DCeased (DC Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Batfamily (DCU), Childhood Friends, Coming of Age, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Origin Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:49:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24993385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melyaliz/pseuds/Melyaliz
Summary: Jennifer had thought she was just going to go live with her Uncle Bruce while attending Gotham University. But it's hard not to get dragged into the world that lies just underneath her new home.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Feathers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1663138
Kudos: 12





	1. Hello

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this so long ago. But I figured if I started to post some of her other stuff I should clean up and post Jennifer's origin story. It's not my best work but, I love my nerd.

Jennifer always forgot how large the doors of the Wayne Mannor were. Looming above her looking down as if laughing at the teenage girl and her nerves that she couldn't seem to calm down. 

Two knocks on the solid wood and she was about 85% no one heard her. Was there like an intercom or buzzer around? 

Her hunt for an alternative was cut short as the door slowly opened. A boy about her age peeked out. That must be Dick Grayson unless uncle bruce had another teenage boy running around. As the door opened a bit more she caught sight of her uncle walking into the main entrance. Good to know he was actually here considering his reputation.

“Hello,” she said holding her hand out for Dick to shake, “Thanks for letting me stay here Uncle Bruce!” she had added over Dick’s shoulder at Bruce. When she had gotten the scholarship at Gotham University she had begged her parents to let her go. She had laid out all her plans which included staying with her Uncle who lived in the city. The PowerPoint presentation had included not only her living arrangements but her four-year school plan to study modern anthropology with extra pamphlets on the classes and emails from teachers. She had decided on this major mostly because she was only 14 and it interested her. But for her parents, she had explained (more like plagiarized from the website) that it would be the first stepping stones to her helping build a better economy. 

And now here she was, in Gotham living out her dreams of going to a big school and becoming her own woman. 

The first few months of her stay in Gotham were pretty uneventful. She was busy settling in and getting used to college life at the age of a high schooler. Her days were spent on campuses and her nights were spent studying in the Kitchen with the butler Alfred. 

Then around the end of September, something horrible happened.

Jennifer started getting homesick. A routine had been built and suddenly the late nights alone felt... very lonely. Dick and Bruce had their “night time duties.” Which Jennifer hadn't really spent much time thinking about until she realized she needed to prove her parents wrong that she DID NOT miss home. She needed a hobby. 

And then there was a string of missing girls that caught her attention. 

She wasn’t really sure why this of all the horrible news that was forever playing on the TV caught her interest. Maybe it was because the most recent girl had freckles like her younger sister or because the girl's mother had been crying about how she was only 15, only a year older than her.

Or maybe it had been the conversation she had with Dick one Sunday morning over Pancakes.

“I bet it’s the someone she knows… someone they all know.”

“Huh?” Dick turned to her as they sat at the island in the kitchen eating their breakfast. Bruce was at some business brunch so it was just the two of them. Dick had been lost in his own thoughts while Jennifer had been watching the news.

“The kidnapper, there was no sign of a struggle and she just didn’t go to school. I bet it was like the mailman or someone”

“But if it’s related to the other kidnapped girls who do they all know? They are from random parts of the city.”

Jennifer shrugged taking a bite of her food, “4 girls and no leads… just seems like someone they all know. Just not that well.”

“Maybe” Dick shrugged his eyes now on the TV a frown on his face.

Whatever it was Jennifer was hooked. She started doing her own research, getting every and all information. She even went to the police station and talked to an officer saying she was writing a paper for school on it. The officer was a little concerned at first because it was a rather morbid topic but she assured him it was to help keep her fellow young girls from letting this happen. Especially if Jennifer may have hinted that she wanted to be a super cool cop like the officer when she grew up while looking up at her with large blue eyes.

It took a while but she had finally compiled a huge pile of facts and information.

And there she sat, at the kitchen table just looking at it.

“My that’s a lot of papers Miss Jennifer, ” Alfred said coming in, “I didn’t realize your classes required so much research.”

Jennifer sighed laying her arm on the table pushing the stack of papers into the center of the table. “It’s not for school… it’s stuff on that case, the one with the missing girls.”

“Oh?”

“You know Alfred…” She said glancing up at him, “if someone were to tell someone… like, say Batman… It may help them find the woman.”

“The woman miss?”

Jennifer stood stretching, “Just a hunch, better get to bed I have an 8 am class in the morning. Good night Alfred.”

“Good night miss”

—–---

A day later they caught the kidnapper. It was a librarian at the local library that each of the girls had been too. The girls had each been kidnapped and seemed to be tested on in an abandoned clinic before their bodies had been dumped. When the man had been apprehended he had a young girl was so badly hurt that she would have died from blood loss an if Batman and Robin hadn’t saved her. 

“HA!” I was right” Jennifer said as she sat on the couch next to Dick as they watched the news eating cereal. It was a Friday night and since neither of them had many friends they had decided to do a movie night. However, When Jen had seen the screen flash the news she had made Dick wait before they started their movie.

“I told you it was someone they all knew” she grinned at him. Dick rolled his eyes clicking play on the DVD.

“Yeah, lucky guess.”

“It’s all elementary, my dear Watson.”

“Sure, sure.”

“It’s a good thing Batman and Robin saved them, though,” Jennifer said glancing over at Dick before looking back at the TV. “They are really a beacon of hope for this city.”

“You think?” Dick smiled glancing at her. Jennifer nodded taking a bite of her cereal. Trying not to acknowledge the pride that Dick seemed to have at her words. 

“I feel like they help those people that the Police can’t. I mean take this case, one of those girls could have died.” she nodded, “They are real heroes.”

“Cool.” was all Dick said as the movie started to play. Jennifer couldn’t help but smile as she peeked a quick look over at Dick who was stupidly grinning from ear to ear.

——

How do you tell someone you know their secret?

If they haven’t told you that means that they don’t want you to know. The knowledge of a discovered secret is held much like guilt. You understand why they kept it from you but you also don’t know how to unknow the information. But is it really your fault that you know? 

I mean, seriously, You weren’t trying to find out. You just did.

Jennifer sighed as she looked over a few articles she had been going over. The girls she had been rather instrumental in saving had more than just the Librarian in common.

They were all from very strict parents who seemed to never let them stay away from home too long. None of the girls had been part of any clubs or after school programs. Two of them didn't even go to school, their parents homeschooling them. 

And during some of the footage it had almost looked like one of them had fangs.

Of course, Jennifer had instantly looked into Vampires and werewolves. As much as she had hoped she was now in some episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer there was something else going on.

The Librarian had just snapped. She had been a normal woman with a family, friends, a boyfriend. Then one day she had just snapped and turned on a few random girls.

Why?”

The deep web had many theories. Some were crazy and some were crazier.

And one stuck with her.

“They are after us, the mutants. Picking us off one by one.”

She had contacted the poster, Smellygreengoo156, and they spent the good part of her night talking about many other attacks similar to the girls where random people were kidnapping people who seemed to also have powers.

She didn’t believe him, how could she? She knew mutants were more than a myth but she had always thought of them as like red-haired people, very rare.

“What are you doing up?” Dick’s voice broke her concentration. Jennifer let out a slight squeak almost jumping out of her own skin. 

“I… What are YOU still doing up?” she said, a little harder than she had meant for it to sound.

“I… went for a run?”

“At night?” her eyebrow raised, “In Gotham?”

“Just around the manor.” he shrugged as if he could just shrug away her prying eyes.

“That where you got the cut?” she asked tapping her own cheek as she glanced back at her computer screen. Dick rubbed his own cheek sheepishly.

“I… hey, good night!”

“Don’t mess with me Grayson” the brunette snickered under her breath.

“What?”

“Good night” Jennifer winked.

—–

The rabbit hole that Smellygreengoo156 sent her down was a deep one. Filled with so much myth that she wasn’t sure what was real and what was fake.

But the most unbelievable part of it was Ryan.

A curly dark-haired boy only 4 or 5. He lived with his mother and father in a not so safe part of Gotham. His mother homeschooled him, preferring to keep him with her at all times. In fact, her hold on the boy was so strong that they only went to the park around 5 or 6 in the morning. When no one else was there. Just as the sun was starting to shed its first rays across the city. 

She had only meant to observe, not get in the middle of anything. However, the boy seemed to find her every time she came down to the park. He would ask her questions and tell her she smelled nice.

One day she noticed a strange mark on his arm.

“Sometimes Dad’s friend comes over,” the boy said, “Mommy doesn’t like him but daddy says he’s going to fix me.”

“Fix you?”

The boy nodded, “He says I’m a freak. I don’t like him, he’s scary and makes daddy scary too.”

“Ryan, you are not a freak,” Jennifer said, “You’re a very nice boy named Ryan.” Ryan took her hand in his.

“Will you come to play with me at home? I can show you my legos.”

“Maybe sometime.” Jennifer paused her eyes flickering to a few marks above the burn marks. They looked a lot like the ones on the girls. “I’ll tell you what, how about I write down my phone number, and if daddy’s friend comes by and you get scared you call me and I will keep him from hurting you.”

Ryan nodded taking the small piece of paper.

“But don’t tell mommy I gave you this, don’t tell anyone,” she said, “it’s our secret.”

“I never tell anyone about you.” Ryan said looking at the paper, “You are my friend.”

Jennifer hadn’t thought anything would come of it. She knew Ryan was having problems at home but she needed more evidence before she did anything. Asking a 5-year-old to call you when your father was about to beat you seemed like a far grasp.

That was until her cell went off with a number she didn’t recognize.

Bruce and Dick had left dinner early saying they were going out to work on some stuff. Jennifer had decided to work on her midterm paper early.

“Hello?”

There was screaming at the other end a woman’s voice was. Glass breaking.

“Jennifer?”

“Ryan?” She was standing now, her heart racing. Did the room just tilt or was that her imagination? 

“The mean man just left and said I was done and now daddy is really mad…” he sobbed.

“I’m coming, Ryan. Go hide and I’m coming. Go hide Ryan.”

Jennifer ran down the stairs almost tripping as she missed the last few steps. She felt like she had tunnel vision, all she could picture was the little dark-haired boy's smile, those burn marks. The blood rushed to her ears making it sound like she was underwater so that she could bearly hear herself as she screamed Alfred's name. She found him running out of the sitting room his face pale with shock at her actions. 

“Where is Bruce?”

“Miss Jennifer?”

“It’s Ryan… he needs help” why couldn’t she get her breathing under control? “I NEED BATMAN OK!”

“Miss…”

Then it was as if something switched off in her brain. And suddenly it was as if everything centered and a deep calm washed over her. She stood straight blue eyes hard, “Alfred, we both know my uncle is Batman, I have a boy in trouble. Take me to him now.”

Bruce wasn’t that thrilled to have Jennifer in the Batcave but didn’t breach the topic as she explained in the quickest way possible that they need to save the boy.

She had also informed her uncle that she was going. “I know him and he will be scared.”

“You may not like what you find.”

“I’m coming,” she said taking a seat in the Batcar. There was no time to argue and they both knew it. 

Every moment it took to get them there Jennifer prayed that nothing happened. She prayed that he hadn’t taken the phone or that his father didn’t find out. She prayed he wasn’t too hurt.

She prayed with all her might.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can always connect with me on my Tumblr Melyaliz 
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Please leave a comment/kudos/bookmark if you enjoyed!   
> Regardless you are AMAZING!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just sent my novel over to my editor which means I have more time to work on all these other WIPs.
> 
> Plus someone requested some Jen fluff on my Tumblr so I figured I should probably update this. I also think I'm going to add another chapter to her Riddler story.
> 
> Who knows, the possibilities are endless and I will probably do none of them. 
> 
> The true writer's plight.

When they got to the apartment it was quite. Too quite. **  
**

“Hello?” Jennifer called out dread creeping into her stomach. Scratching at the walls making her sick.

“You…” a voice hissed a man in a beat-up white tank and gray sweats sat on the couch. Mud seemed to smeared across his shirt. A gun in his hand. Wait, that wasn’t mud.

That was dried blood.

The gun went off and Jennifer felt Robin’s hand on her arm pulling her out of the way and behind a ripped love seat. Fluff flying around as a second bullet hit the seat. With Dick's body draped over hers she wasn't sure what was going on but she could hear the man's voice screaming as he fired again. 

“First I have a freak kid now a freak man come into my home!” he fired a few more times as Batman charged him.

“Where’s your son?” Bruce's voice was deep and amazingly calm. Jennifer felt like she was about to break into hysterics at any moment. 

“Somewhere you can never have him.” The man said swinging at Batman with superhuman strength letting out an almost chimpanzee-like scream. His arms seemed to grow as he threw Batman across the room.

“Find the kid,” Robin told Jennifer, it was hard to tell behind his mask but from his voice, Jennifer could tell he was all business. this was serious and she needed to swallow whatever emotions were going on and do what she could here and now. Breakdowns could happen later. After giving to Dick a nod the boy wonder jumped into action to help Batman. 

Quickly - but quietly- Jennifer crawled across the dirty carpet toward the bedroom. She opened the first door to see a woman sprawled on the bed. Her legs and arms in rather awkward angles.

“No” she whispered getting closer. “Miss?” she called out hopefully.

There was no answer as the blank eyes of Ryan’s mom stared up at the ceiling. Sightless, dead. That was when the real panic hit. Jennifer had never seen a dead body before in real life. And in that moment she forgot about the monster in the other room, forgot she was supposed to be quite. 

“RYAN!” Jennifer yelled backing up. There was another room across the hall. She had told him to hide, her rational side of her brain said. Just stay calm, he was ok just hiding like she told him to. He was ok, she knew it, she knew he was fine. He had to be fine. 

A few legos crunched under her feet as she ran into the bedroom. Her heart pounding in her ears so loudly she couldn't even hear her own voice, “Ryan?” that was when she saw it.

The limp arm of the boy halfway out of the closet.

Batman had just subdued and tied up the man who was now slumped on the floor barely conscious. The fight had been quick but not without a struggle. It took both him and Dick everything to get the gorilla man to settle down. He could already hear the sirens from the police, probably a few blocks away.

"Jen?" Dick's voice made Bruce lookup. His niece was slowly walking into the living room. Blood smeared across her hands and shirt. Ryan had been lying among his things. Lifeless from a trauma to the head. He had hit, just like she had told him to. But it wasn't enough. 

Jennifer looked down at the gun that lay a few feet from the man then back up at him. “You… you killed your own wife… your son.” the man looked up at her in a daze.

“He wasn’t good enough.”

“You are a monster,” she hissed getting down to his level, her eyes boring into his, “He was a CHILD!”

The man met her gaze than it slowly drifted to the gun only a few feet away, “Are you going to kill me? Pull the trigger, it won’t matter I was going to do it myself.”

Jennifer shook her head, eyes red with unshed tears, “I don’t want to kill you. I want you to live a long and horrible life knowing what you did.”

With that, she walked out to the balcony gasping for air as tears fell from her eyes. 

“Look, it’s ok.” Robin’s voice asked from behind her. She closed her eyes shaking her head trying to get the image of Ryan and his mom out of her head. She knew Robin was trying to make her feel better. To help her stop crying. But she didn’t want to stop crying. What had happened was sad, the loss of life was worth grieving. 

And who else would cry for a nameless mother and her child but her? 

“No, it’s not. He killed those people. That boy wasn’t older than Faith!” he took her in his arms holding her close as she sobbed, “I’m not crying for me, I’m crying for them”

—-------—

The next few weeks Jennifer was very quiet. To herself. Burying herself in her school work with the occasional call back home to her family. Focusing on what was right in front of her, and not what had happened. 

“My dress is super floofy!” A 7-year-old Faith said spinning around the pink chiffon shirt had several layers that all flew out as she moved. Their mother had gotten her the day before for a dance recital that the young girl was going to be in. “I can even do kicks in it! Look at my high kick.” Faith took a running start before flying in the air

“Jen Jen” she kept saying as she ran around the room while Her sister watched her climb over furniture and show her all the latest moves she was learning.

“Jen, This is how you jump and land in first,” she said leaping off the couch and landing before taking up a fighting pose, “Jen this is the stance to keep yourself centered.

“Jen…” the young girl paused from her antics and walked slowly up to the camera, “Are you crying?”

Her older sister lets out a small wet laugh wiping away a few tears. While she knew her parents were doing everything in their power to try and calm down her younger sister watching the girl run around so full of life and that childlike wonder in her bright pink dress was the most comforting thing she had seen in weeks.

“I just miss you,”

Faith paused propping her elbows up on the coffee table that the computer screen was resting up so she was face to face with her sister. “When I miss you mommy says I should dance to take my mind off it. Maybe you should dance too…”

“That’s a good idea.”

  
“Thanks! I’m full of them… like I tied my bed sheets to the top posters of my bed and made a hammock with them like at that vacation place we went too…” And she was off again jumping around as she told her Jennifer story after story.

—-------—

Dick sat up from his history homework to a knocking on the window. Jennifer was standing outside on his balcony waving. Letting out a laugh Dick stood up walking toward the window. How had she even gotten up there? 

“What are you doing out there?” he asked as he opened the door to his balcony. Grabbing his hand Jennifer dragged him out into the evening air. Behind her, some white sheets were tired together on the balcony. Trailing down to the yard.

“We are going to sneak out, come on”

“Bruce isn’t even here.”

The brunette frowned sharply turning to him. “Look fun sponge, put on your jacket, and let’s go.”

Dick laughed slipping on his sneakers, “jeez ok cranky.” She followed him with a huge smile on her face as she played with the tassel of her dark blue hoodie. Giddy with the thrill of playing hookie. 

“We are going to be normal kids for a day. Sneak out and party on a school night.” sure it was only a half day tomorrow... but still. It was the principle of the thing. 

“How rebellious of us,” Dick said as he followed her back outside where Jennifer started to descend on the sheets, “Alfred is going to kill you for running these sheets,” he added. 

“I got these yesterday from the store.” was the simple response as she looked up at him from the grassy lawn. Nothing could kill her mood tonight. Tonight they were going on an adventure. Like kids do. Instead of responding Dick swung down doing a backflip landing next to her. Jennifer laughed rolling her blue eyes, “Ok, showoff”

They took Dick’s bike which Jennifer had rolled out to the back yard since she didn’t know how to drive it. The plan was to meet up with a few people she had met in one of her college classes. Apparently, there was an AMAZING concert that one of the girls, Lucy, had gotten tickets for.

"Small fries!” Lucy, a blue-haired girl, said waving as they rode up to the parking lot. Next to her was a chubby boy and pretty dark-haired girl.

“My boyfriend is already inside,” Lucy informed the two teens before taking one last swig of her drink. 

The chubby boy laughed he had a slight British accent. “I'm just waiting on these two alcoholics.”

“No man gets left behind,” the dark-haired girl said taking the chubby boy’s hand. 

“These kids are a lot older than us” Dick whispered as they walked up to the booth with their tickets. He knew that Jennifer went to college, but this was the first time he was really realizing that she was really going to a school where the kids were much older than her. Living lives that were vastly different than the one she lived. 

“Yeah, but Lucy is really nice and we don’t have to drink or anything.” Jennifer whispered back, “We are going to be rebellious… but not THAT rebellious. I pinky swear” she added holding up her pinky.

“Now!” Lucy said turning to the two kids, “Before we go in” she held up some cans of black light body paint. “We gotta get dressed up.”

Jennifer pulled off her hoodie revealing a black tank top. “Could you do wings on my shoulders?”

“I can try,” the older girl said slowly starting to draw.

“And Dick wants a warrior stripes” Jennifer added shooting the dark haired boy a large smile.

“Ok come here cutie,” the other girl said as she started to draw on his face. "I'm Katy by the way, and that's my boyfriend Stephen." 

“As long as it’s not a clown” Stephen, said laughing Katy rolled her eyes.

“God doesn’t even joke, we Gothamites don’t joke when it comes to clowns.” 

Once he was done he joined Jennifer who not only had wings on her shoulders and down her arms but a huge star on her right cheek and dots over her left side of her face.

Gently Jennifer took his hand in her’s “I just want to add one more thing to you” she whispered gently painting something on his inner arm. Her gentle touch sending goosebumps thought his body. Glancing down he saw the word “Hero” written there in red. Glancing at her confused she just winked before turning back to the other kids.

The arena was basically a huge field fenced off with a stage and tons of lights. It was already filled with people of all ages all excited for the show.

“Here, ” Lucy said pulling out a few glow sticks cracking and shaking them so they started to glow. “You guys ready?” Jennifer nodded a huge smile on her face as the whole crowd started to get excited about them. It started from the front by the stage, a ripple of energy that flowed through the people like a tidal wave. As if everyone became one body joining in the excitement.

Softly at first, the music started then loud pounding through them like a heartbeat. Everyone was screaming, singing, and dancing around Dick. He was swept up in the excitement. The infectious energy around him took him away to a place that was bearly a memory.

It reminded him of the circus. When the crowd would cheer with wonder. When, just for a moment, strangers became friends. Everyone was experiencing the save waves of feelings becoming one unit.

Song after song they danced the night away, Laughing and just basking in the feeling of being part of a community of strangers.

As the night wore on the venue became more and more crowded until Dick and Jen lost the other kids they had come with. They were having a hard time seeing since they were so much shorter than everyone else. So pulling Jennifer to him he helped her weave through the crowd until they found some scaffolding they could climb. High above everyone else, they sat there shearing some cotton candy and just watching the world below with a sky full of stars above them.

They stayed there well after the music was over the other people had left. Just sitting there just talking about life. Story after story.

She told him about moving to Japan and how her sister had been so upset when Jennifer had moved back to Gotham a year later.

He told her about his life at the Circus.

She told him about her parents.

He told her about his.

Then he told her about Bruce taking him in. About becoming Robin. How his life changed in a moment, never be the same again.

He told her about the first dead person he saw.

They sat in silence for a moment both caught up in their own thoughts. The sky slowly growing lighter and lighter as morning crept upon them.

“I feel like sometimes we are pushed to just grow up.” she finally said, “Always moving toward the next goal, next class, next life moment.” She sighed brushing her dark hair away from her face as she looked over the empty field where the concert had been held. “Sometimes we just need to enjoy these crazy moments. Live in the present”

At that moment he realized she hadn’t done this for her. She hadn't dragged him to this party because of Ryan or because she wanted to party with her college friends.

She had done this was for him.

To make him a kid again.

The sun was slowly peeking up against the horizon casting rays of golden light to streak across Jennifer’s face. Her bright blue eyes sparkling with the morning light. 

He kissed her, gentle and soft as he ran his fingers through her hair. Letting her warmth consume him as he let himself go. Just be a kid for a moment. Just a moment where they were two kids who had ditched school to party all night and ending up falling in love. 

She kissed him back, hesitant and slowly as her fingers traced the inside of his arm. A soft ghost of a touch as if she was trying to read his thoughts through his skin. Understand what it was like for a boy to lose everything in a moment only to have such a heavy burden put upon him. The burden of a city. 

Slowly Dick broke away studying her as she looked back with a small smile on her face. “I had fun tonight” she whispered. It was more of a question than a statement. He smiled back kissing her forehead.

“Me too”

She rested her head on his shoulder as they watched the rest of the sunrise holding hands. 

Falling in love with Jennifer wasn’t like any other girl Dick had dated later in his life. Falling in love with Jennifer was slow at fist It was the simple smiles and the way she would listen to him. Like the melody of the songs that had just played. It was calm at first only to burst into lights and sounds that pounding into your very core. 

It was as if he suddenly looked up and realized he was drowning. Totally consumed as if he couldn’t breathe so in deep.

But he didn’t care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can always connect with me on my Tumblr Melyaliz 
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Please leave a comment/kudos/bookmark if you enjoyed!   
> Regardless you are AMAZING!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just sent my novel over to my editor which means I have more time to work on all these other WIPs.
> 
> Plus someone requested some Jen fluff on my Tumblr so I figured I should probably update this. I also think I'm going to add another chapter to her Riddler story.
> 
> Who knows, the possibilities are endless and I will probably do none of them. 
> 
> The true writer's plight.

When they got to the apartment it was quite. Too quite. **  
**

“Hello?” Jennifer called out dread creeping into her stomach. Scratching at the walls making her sick.

“You…” a voice hissed a man in a beat-up white tank and gray sweats sat on the couch. Mud seemed to smeared across his shirt. A gun in his hand. Wait, that wasn’t mud.

That was dried blood.

The gun went off and Jennifer felt Robin’s hand on her arm pulling her out of the way and behind a ripped love seat.

“First I have a freak kid now a freak man comes into my home!” he fired a few more times as Batman charged him.

“Where’s your son?”

“Somewhere you can never have him.” The man said charging at Batman with superhuman strength letting out an almost chimpanzee-like scream. His arms seemed to grow as he threw Batman across the room.

“Find the kid,” Robin told Jennifer as he jumped into action to help Batman.

Jennifer quickly crawled across the dirty carpet toward the bedroom. She opened the first door to see a woman sprawled on the bed. Her legs and arms in rather awkward angles.

“No” she whispered getting closer. “Miss?” she called out hopefully.

There was no answer as the blank eyes of Ryan’s mom staired up at the ceiling. Sightless, dead.

“RYAN!” Jennifer yelled backing up. There was another room across the hall… she had told him to hide. He was just hiding like she told him to. He was ok, she knew it, she knew he was fine. He had to be fine. 

A few legos crunched under her feet as she ran into the bedroom. Her heart pounding in her ears. “Ryan?” she choked out as she saw the limp arm of the boy half way out of the closet.

Batman had just subdued and tied up the man who was now slumped on the floor barely conscious. Jennifer walked slowly into the livingroom. Blood from the small boy who had been lying among his things in his closet. Lifeless from trauma to the head.

“Jen?” Robin asked, his voice laced with concern.

Jennifer looked down at the gun that lay a few feet from the man then back up at him. “You… you killed your own wife… your son.” the man looked up at her in a daze.

“He wasn’t good enough.”

“You are a monster,” she hissed getting down to his level, her eyes boring into his, “He was a CHILD!”

The man met her gaze than it slowly drifted to the gun, “Are you going to kill me? Pull the trigger, it won’t matter I was going to do it myself.”

Jennifer shook her head, eyes red with unshed tears, “I don’t want to kill you. I want you to live a long and horrible life knowing what you did.”

With that, she walked out to the balcony gasping for air as tears fell from her eyes. 

“Look, it’s ok.” Robin’s voice asked from behind her. She closed her eyes shaking her head trying to get the image of Ryan and his mom out of her head. She knew Robin was trying to make her feel better. to help her stop crying. But she didn’t want to stop crying. What had happened was sad, the loss of life was worth grieving. 

And who else would cry for a nameless mother and her child but her? 

“No, it’s not. He killed those people. That boy wasn’t older than Faith!” he took her in his arms holding her close as she sobbed, “I’m not crying for me, I’m crying for them”

——

The next few weeks Jennifer was very quiet. To herself. Burying herself in her school work with the occasional call back home to her family.

“My dress is super floofy!” A 7-year-old Faith said spinning around her in full-bodied pink dress that their mother had gotten her the day before. “I can even do kicks in it! Look at my high kick.” Faith took a running start before flying in the air

“Jen Jen” she kept saying as she ran around the room while Her sister watched her climb over furniture and show her all the latest moves she was learning.

“Jen, This is how you jump and land in first,” she said leaping off the couch and landing before taking up a fighting pose, “Jen this is the stance to keep yourself centered.

“Jen…” she paused from her antics and walked slowly up to the camera, “Are you crying?”

Her older sister lets out a small laugh wiping away a few tears. While she knew her parents were doing everything in their power to try and calm down her younger sister watching the girl run around so full of life and that childlike wonder in her bright pink dress was the most comforting thing she had seen in weeks.

“I just miss you,”

Faith paused propping her elbows up on the coffee table that the computer screen was resting up so she was face to face with her sister. “When I miss you mommy says I should dance to take my mind off it. Maybe you should dance too…”

“That’s a good idea.”

  
“Thanks! I’m full of them… like I tied my bed sheets to the top posters of my bed and made a hammock with them like at that vacation place we went too…” And she was off again jumping around as she told her Jennifer story after story.

—–

Dick sat up from his history homework to a knocking on the window. Jennifer was standing outside on his balcony waving. Letting out a laugh Dick stood up walking toward the window.

“What are you doing out there?” he asked as he opened the door to his balcony. Grabbing his hand Jennifer dragged him out into the evening air. Behind her, some white sheets were tired together on the balcony. Trailing down to the yard.

“We are going to sneak out, come on”

“Bruce isn’t even here.”

The brunette frowned sharply turning to him. “Look fun sponge, put on your jacket and let’s go.”

Dick laughed slipping on his sneakers, “jeez ok cranky.” She followed him with a huge smile on her face as she played with the tassel of her dark blue hoodie.

“We are going to be normal kids for a day. Sneak out and party on a school night.”

“How rebellious of us,” Dick said as he followed her back outside where Jennifer started to descend on the sheets, “Alfred is going to kill you for running these sheets.” he added. 

“I got these yesterday from the store.”

Dick swung down doing a backflip landing next to her. Jennifer laughed rolling her blue eyes, “Ok, showoff”

They took Dick’s bike which Jennifer had rolled out to the back yard since she didn’t know how to drive it. The plan was to meet up with a few people she had been in one of her college classes. Apparently, there was an AMAZING concert that one of the girls, Lucy, had gotten tickets for.

"Small fries!” Lucy, a blue haired girl, said waving as they rode up to the parking lot. Next to her was a chubby boy and pretty dark haired girl.

“My boyfriend is already inside.” The girl said taking one last swig of her drink. 

The chubby boy laughed he had a slight British accent. “We just had to wait for this alcoholic.”

“No man gets left behind,” the dark haired girl said taking the chubby boy’s hand.

“These kids are a lot older than us” Dick whispered as they walked up to the booth with their tickets. He knew that Jennifer went to college, but this was the first time he was really realizing that she was really going to a school where the kids were much older than her.

“Yeah, but Lucy is really nice and we don’t have to drink or anything.” Jennifer whispered back, “We are going to be rebellious… but not THAT rebellious. I pinky swear” she added holding up her pinky.

“Now!” Lucy said turning to the two kids, “Before we go in” she held up some cans of body paint. “We gotta get dressed up.”

Jennifer pulled off her hoodie revealing a black tank top. “Could you do wings on my shoulders?”

“I can try,” the older girl said slowly starting to draw.

“And Dick wants a warrior stripes” Jennifer added shooting the dark haired boy a large smile.

“Ok come here cutie,” the other girl said as she started to draw on his face.

“As long as it’s not a clown” the boy, Stephen, said laughing. The girl, Cory, rolled her eyes.

“God doesn’t even joke, we Gothamites don’t joke when it comes to clowns.” 

Once he was done he joined Jennifer who not only had wings on her shoulders and down her arms but a huge star on her right cheek and dots over her left side of her face.

Gently Jennifer took his hand in her’s “I just want to add one more thing to you” she whispered gently painting someone on his inner arm. Her gentle touch sending goosebumps thought his body. Glancing down he saw the word “Hero” written there in red. Glancing at her confused she just winked before turning back to the other kids.

The arena was basically a huge field fenced off with a stage and tons of lights. It was already filled with people of all ages all excited for the show.

“Here, ” Lucy said pulling out a few glow sticks cracking and shaking them so they started to glow. “You guys ready?” Jennifer nodded a huge smile on her face as the whole crowd started to get excited about them. It started from the front by the stage, a ripple of energy that flowed through the people like a tidal wave. As if everyone became one body joining in the excitement.

Softly at firs, the music started then loud pounding through them like a heartbeat. Everyone was screaming, singing, and dancing around Dick. He was swept up in the excitement the infectious energy that took him away to a place that was bearly a memory.

It reminded him of the circus. When the crowd would will with wonder. When, just for a moment, strangers became friends. Everyone was experiencing the save waves of feelings becoming one unit.

Song after song they danced the night away, Laughing and just basking in the feeling of being part of a community of strangers.

As the night wore on the venue became more and more crowded until Dick pulled her aside and helped her claim up a scaffolding so they could sit away from everyone. Shearing some cotton candy and just watching the world below with a sky full of stars above them.

They stayed there well after the music was over the other people had left. They sat there just talking about life. Story after story.

She told him about moving to Japan and how her sister had been so upset when Jennifer had moved back to Gotham a year later.

He told her about his life at the Circus.

She told him about her parents.

He told her about his.

Then he told her about Bruce taking him in. About becoming Robin. How his life changed in a moment so that it would never be the same again.

He told her about the first dead person he saw.

They sat in silence for a moment both caught up in their own thoughts. The sky slowly growing lighter and lighter as morning crept upon them.

“I feel like sometimes we are pushed to just grow up.” she finally said, “Always moving toward the next goal, next class, next life moment.” She sighed brushing her dark hair away from her face as she looked over the empty field where the concert had been held. “Sometimes we just need to enjoy these crazy moments. Live in the present”

At that moment he realized she hadn’t done this for her. She haddn’t dragged him to this party because of Ryan or because she wanted to party with her college friends.

She had done this was for him.

To make him a kid again.

The sun was slowly peeking up against the horizon casting rays of golden light to streak across Jennifer’s face. Her bright blue eyes sparking with the morning light. 

He kissed her, gentle and soft as he ran his fingers through her hair. Letting her warmth consume him as he let himself go. Just be a kid for a moment. Just a moment where they were two kids who had ditched school to party all night and ending up falling in love. 

She kissed him back, hesitant and slowly as her fingers traced the inside of his arm. A soft ghost of a touch as if she was trying read his thoughts through his skin. Understand what it was like for a boy to lose everything in a moment only to have such a heavy burden put upon him. The burden of a city. 

Slowly Dick broke away studying her as she looked back with a small smile on her face. “I had fun tonight” she whispered. It was more of a question than a statement. He smiled back kissing her forehead.

“Me too”

She rested her head on his shoulder as they watched the rest of the sunrise holding hands. 

Falling in love with Jennifer wasn’t like any other girl Dick had dated later in his life. Falling in love with Jennifer was slow at fist It was the simple smiles and the way she would listen to him. Like the melody of the songs that had just played. It was calm at first only to burst into lights and sounds that pounding into your very core. 

It was as if he suddenly looked up and realized he was drowning. Totally consumed as if he couldn’t breathe so in deep.

But he didn’t care.


	4. Good Bye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tea is mine and I honestly hate her hero name and have been thinking about changing it  
> Nicole - Dark is another oc I'm still working on
> 
> You can find all my OC info on my Tumblr Melyaliz

_We were all young, so young. Filled with dreams and excitement. We thought we could change the world. We thought we were invincible._

Jennifer sighed as she looked around at the large white building. She came here too often. Being a psychiatrist meant going where people needed her. With her specialty being with super-powered kids places like this. Places there they locked up powered people, she frequently came to help.

But today she wasn’t here for work. Today she was here to see her own past. 

_“Oh, there’s my team, got to go beat the baddie” Turning Dark giggled flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder “See you later Kid Flash” Skipping over to her team Tea rolled her hazel eyes._

_“When are you guys just going to fucking make out and get it over with” the dark-haired girl asked inspecting one of the many knives she hid under her long dark coat. Jennifer had often wondered how heavy that jacket was considering her teammate always seemed to have an endless supply of sharp accessories. Their blonde friend let out a gasp dramatically putting her hand over her heart._

_“Whatever do you mean Dream!” The pretty blonde girl asked smiling at her own private joke, “It’s all in jest, besides…” she faltered as Artemis walked in “He has his eyes on someone else. Not to mention I’m WAY too good for him”_

_Jennifer, known as Falcon back then, smiled at her two teammates. The blonde, Dark was endlessly flirting with anyone who would talk to her. However, she had a small place in her heart for the red-haired speedster who had saved her from the mob boss who had tried to use her powers for evil._

_Next to her Tea rolled her eyes putting away the last of her weapons. She was a foul-mouthed girl who said it like it was no matter who she was offending. She tended to offend a lot of people._

_As Dark ran off to make sure her hair looked good before their mission. Falcom laughed shaking her head “Does she realize your power is directly linked to people’s emotions?” Tea shrugged_

_“I think she just forgets. Moron.”_

Those were the days. Filled with laughter and joy. The three of them just helping each other and learning where they belonged. Just three teenage girls who had no idea what they were doing but knew that it all meant something. 

Before Jennifer had met her little ragtag team of three she had never quite felt like she had fit in. She had never been very good at that hero life. Too connected with the people around her. She cared too much. 

Yet that was how she had met those two.

Dark being brainwashed to kill and Tea pickpocketing to make ends meat.

She had talked the girls into using their powers for good and in return, they taught her how to belong in a world that was just too magical for this mortal girl.

As she walked the halls of this large establishment filled with such people. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. Many of these people locked up behind those steel doors were so dangerous to others that they may never see the light of day again.

While some…

Some were more a danger to themselves than anyone else.

_“Did you really just throw your phone at Dinah?” Jennifer asked pure horror written on her face. The rest of the Young Justice members stood in equal shock._

_“What? She was pissing me off.” Nicole said folding her arms over her chest, “Because of this stupid debriefing we missed the party on the boardwalk.”_

_“You threw your phone at her because we couldn’t go to that party?” Wally asked, “I don’t see why you care it’s just a bunch of meatheads and stuff.”_

_“Maybe it doesn’t matter to you but…”_

_“You want to be one of those vapid brainless bitches?” Tea said, more of a statement than a question._

_“No! I want to go to a real party, with real kids our own age.” Nicole defended herself but the light flush in her cheeks told a different story. She was still a teenage girl, she still wanted to_ try _and life a normal (or as normal as one can have) life._

_“Well…” Wally paused looking around for a moment, “I could sneak you out.”_

_“Really!?!” Nicole asked her bright blue eyes wide with excitement._

_“Sure.”_

_“Can we?” she turned to her two friends. Jennifer shrugged why should she stop the girl? They had the rest of the night off anyway. Besides a little normal fun might be good._

_“Sounds like fun.”_

_“You’re not getting me in any of those fucking slutty outfits you have, but I’m down.” Tea said as well already knowing when she was outnumbered and someone had to keep an eye on those two idiots. (Well three counting Wally)_

They were too young. No matter how powerful they had been. They were being exploited for the greater good.

But what had that greater good done? It had left three girl’s lives destroyed.

Some would argue that a girl like Dark Nicole could never be anything but a killer with her powers yet Jennifer had seen more. She had seen a girl who just wanted to be normal. Just wanted to go to school with other kids. Go to parties, meet boys, maybe fall in love.

Being with girls like Nicole and Tea who had spent their whole lives running from people who would use their powers made Jennifer realize that there were kids out there who didn’t have the life she had.

A normal life where your biggest concern was passing a test or that your friends would think you were a freak for taking college classes at 12.

While her friends had to worry about whether it was morally right to make someone so happy they give you everything they own.

Or that people would think you were a freak because your best friend was a hound from hell.

_He stood there holding Tea by her dark messy hair. Blood dripping from her nose as she looked up with half-closed eyes. She was in pain, she was going to die if he kept this up. And Falcon couldn’t do anything about it._

_“Please,” Falcon begged, her whole body unable to move after enduring her own beatdown, “you said it was me you wanted.”_

_He shook his head his face showing no expression. As if he was just throwing away some old leftovers, “You weren’t good enough, none of you were good enough. Honestly, you shouldn’t even be heroes. And here’s why” He pulled out a gun and shoot Tea in the head. No finesse, no second thought. Falcon watched in horror as the life fled one of best friend's bodies_

_He tossing Tea's limp body aside as if it was nothing he turned to Jennifer. For the first time showing some emotion as his eye narrowed never wavering from the young woman's, “I always liked guns, quick and to the point. Why waste time goofing around, giving monologs when you can just pull and trigger and be done with it.” He leaned down toward Jennifer so close she could smell his breath sour and sickly, “Now go home pretty little one, and know, you were too weak to save your friend.”_

She was playing pretend. Jennifer thought if she put on a mask and ran with the big kids she could be a hero too. So many times she had been proven wrong. Shown that this wasn’t her life yet she had kept going, kept fighting, kept trying to prove her worth.

Until it didn’t matter anymore.

_“Where’s Tea?” Wally asked scanning the room as the two girls stood in the Young Justice HQ in stunned silence. Pulling herself together, barely, Jennifer pushed her way through them walking up to Kaldur. Taking off her mask she hands it to him. For a moment Aqualad’s eyes flicker to Robin who stood in stunned silence._

_“I quite,” Jennifer said looking straight into the team leader’s eyes._

_“WHAT!” Wally said next to him M’gan took a few steps closer to her reaching out. She knew, she already knew the pain the girl was going through as tears formed in the martian’s eyes._

_“Falcon?” Robin took a step closer to his friend but she couldn’t face him, she couldn’t face anyone._

_“She’s dead… oh, my GOD! She’s dead!” Dark’s voice cut through the confusion. Everyone turned to the blonde. She looked around the room, her eyes so dark they could kill. “That maniac killed her!” darkness swirled around her as the sound of her hellhound let out a snarl curling her ready for a fight. “I’m going to find him and rip his limbs one by one from his body until he’s sorry he killed Dream” as her voice grew deeper and deeper echoing the snarls of her dog, eyes glowing blood red. Dark mist slowly enveloping them, “And not even the pits of hell will save that man from the wrath I will bring down on him.”_

_“Dark wait…” Wally said yelled running toward her. But even the speedster was too late, she had already disappeared._

_It was too much for Jennifer. The world seemed to be tilting, spinning. It felt so warm, suffocating. She was going to throw up._

_“Falcom wait!” she heard as she bolted from the room. Everything seemed to be closing in on her. The walls, the floors, she had to get out, get away. She didn't’ even know where she was going until she locked herself in a closet. Falling to the floor clutching her chest as her body racked with sobs._

_“Fa… Jennifer? Come out… Jen?” Dick’s voice was saying on the other side of the door, “Please just open up… talk to me”_

If Jennifer was being really honest with herself back then that kind of hero work just really wasn't for her. Instead, she focused on her studies and found something else, helping people one at a time. Counseling teen heroes like the new batch of heroes who just weren't sure how to fit in this world with their powers.

Trying to help kids who suffer like she did.

The way Nicole did.

After Tea's death, the blonde had disappeared. It took the Young Justice team weeks trying to find her. During that time it had felt like she had turned into the literal smoke she controlled.

By the time they did find her. It was too late.

_“I found her” Kid Flash said over the intercom. Falcon turned Robin’s motorcycle toward where he was. While she told them she had quite, given up the costume she had put it on one more time to find her friend. Not giving up until Nicole was back to safety._

_The sight that greeted them wasn’t one that they had expected. Bodies lay in tatters around the girl. The air was so thick with the smell of blood Jennifer almost gagged. Nicole's blonde hair streaked with the sticky crimson blood as she sat in the center of the carnage. She was softly whispering to one of the men stroking his face._

_“Oh my god” Kid Flash whispered next to Falcon as he looked over the carnage. It was like something from a nightmare._

_“Nicole?” Falcon asked hoping the sound of her own name would bring her friend back. A flicker, the blonde looked up at her old teammate. However, her blue eyes had a vacant look to them, as if looking right through the brunette as she walked closer._

_Falcon’s hand was outstretched as if approaching a wounded animal, unsure what the broken girl in front of her would do. “Nicole?” she asked again, “It’s me… it’s Jen,” slowly she took off her mask._

_“They all die” the girl whispered, “they all die.” She kept whispering over and over again. Her once bright blue eyes were dead to all the world not seeing anything._

_“I’m here, Nicole I’m here,” Falcom said gently taking her friend’s hands in her own._

_“They all die,” the blonde said again slowly laying her head on Falcon’s chest “my dog, Dream, Falcon,” She turned to Kid Flash, “You…”_

Jan looked through the small window into the stake white room. Nicole, the former teen hero Dark, sat on the bed. Staring at the white wall opposite from her. Her once bright eyes, always so full of life, were now dead. Jennifer opened the door slowly walking in. “Hey Nicole, how are you doing?”

“They all die,” the pale-haired girl whispered rocking back and forth slightly clutching a small stuffed dog Plastic-Girl, one of the up and coming heroes. had gotten her. Her head slowly turned toward Jennifer, looking right through her former teammate and friend “They all die”

Somedays Jennifer could get some coherent words out of her. Some days she would talk about her food or the sunshine. But some days (most days) were like today, she was stuck in a loop.

Jennifer sat with her for about an hour gently talking to her about how the team was doing and about her life. How her sister had joined the hero world. She was worried for her but she knew her sister had to make her own choices. (Jennifer may have threatened Dick to keep an eye on her.)

Nicole didn’t say much just looking vacant as she rubbed her thumb over the small stuffed dog.

Finally, Jennifer left taking one last look at the stark white room where her friend sat. She helped kids who didn’t have anyone else. Tried to make them feel normal, comfortable in their own skin. Keep them sane in this crazy world.

She did this because there was one girl she could never help.

"Have you gone in?” Jennifer asked glancing at Wally as she left the building. The red-haired boy was leaning against the wall of the building tapping the sole of his sneaker against the brick. Letting out a long sigh he shook his head.

“I know it's selfish but I don’t want to remember her like that… like how we found her.” He laughed scratching the back of his head, “I want to remember her as the girl who threw her phone at Dinah when she had told her to grow up.”

Jennifer laughed at the memory, “she told me later she wasn’t even that mad, she had just wanted to throw something at someone… see what would happen”

Wally laughed, long and hard. “She was so strange sometimes.”

“Yeah,” Jennifer said nodding.

Wally’s smile melted slowly as he glanced at the setting sun, it was getting late and Artemis was waiting for him. This was going to be one of his last nights with her before things… changed. Yet here he was, looking back at the past.

“Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we hadn’t had her join the team”

Jennifer sighed trying not to admit the same feeling. Some days it felt like that was her whole life. If she had had never tried to help that little boy all those years ago if she had not tried to help Nicole find a higher purpose for her powers.

Maybe if Jennifer had never tried to help, maybe none of this would have happened. It was a message written across her like a scar. One she carried into every relationship, every breakup, every choice.

“I spend every day trying to never forget.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can always connect with me on my Tumblr Melyaliz 
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Please leave a comment/kudos/bookmark if you enjoyed!   
> Regardless you are AMAZING!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finishing up the official first part to Yellow Umbrella the novella. The utter disbelieve that in about two weeks I will be a fully published author is kind of freaking me out. 
> 
> and If everything goes smoothly in December Canary will be published so I will have published a full novel. 
> 
> I am not worthy. 
> 
> Until then I will continue to post the backlog of stories from Tumblr onto here. 
> 
> ALSO NOTE: Faith is my OC, you can read her stuff under Wings. She is Jennifer's younger sister

_ “I think I found something I’m really good at, helping people.” Jennifer looked up at Dick her face bright. It was the thing about her he loved. Her feelings were always on her sleeve. She cried when she was sad. She laughed when she was happy. She never fought how she felt, she just felt it. _

_ He had watched her struggle trying to find her place, helping them, and getting hurt as the reality of the hero world hit her hard. It almost seemed to be hitting her harder than anyone else he knew. Yet, she seemed to take something from each mission, each time she hit a roadblock. _

_ Until that one time that the roadblock was too much. _

“I quit,” Jennifer had yelled throwing her mask down, her blue eyes filled with tears as she tried to hold herself together. Tried to make sense of the world that seemed to be tilting and spinning around her.

Had Kaldur always been that tall? Had the base always been this hot? She couldn’t breathe… she was going to pass out.

“Falcon wait!” she heard as she bolted from the room. Everything seemed to be closing in on her. She didn't’ even know where she was going until she locked herself in a closet. Falling to the floor clutching her knees to her chest as her body racked with sobs.

“Fa… Jennifer?” Dick said knocking on the door, “I can help… please?” He placed his hand on the door as he heard the sobs from behind the door “Come out… Jennifer?” Dick sunk to the floor, This was his fault, he had brought her into this. He had known from the beginning that she didn’t fit in this world, “Please just open up… talk to me”

He had been selfish, he had wanted her there with him. Experiencing this world with her by his side. Those moments when she would watch him in awe as he caught the bad guy or came up with a flawless plan, that was what he had lived for. He had craved her watching him with a big smile.

But he had been the one to also take that smile away. And as he sat there listening to her cry uncontrollably he worried he would never get it back

“Please,” he whispered “Just let me in”

—----------------

“I’m going back to Japan,” Jennifer said.

“Jen…” Dick said looking at her, he didn’t know what to say, what to think. These past weeks had been bad, then they got worse. She had watched her best friend get shot in the head and her other friend go insane with grief. When she hadn’t been searching for Nicole she had locked herself in her room not talking to anyone, not sleeping, not eating.

Watching her like this, watching her break down so many times was like it’s own unique torture. The thing he had loved so much about Jennifer, her emotion was the thing that ultimately destroyed their relationship. He had known since the beginning this wasn’t her life. She was too happy, to sad, she had so many emotions that she couldn’t turn off.

Leaning forward Jennifer wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him into a long hug. He hugged her back, holding on to her as if it were one last plea. One last prayer that she would stay. Stay with him. 

Gently she kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll always love you” she whispered.

Had he ever told her? She seemed to say it every day. Telling him a million times how great it was and what he did was so important. How she admired him. Had he ever told her how he loved her spirit? How he loved that she saw the good in people. How those two girls would have been a prison if she hadn’t seen them as just young girls who were lost.

Maybe he had. But it wasn’t enough. Nothing would have been enough. No words could compare to her.

He squeezed her hand for the first time at a loss for words, “Keep in touch ok?”

“You couldn’t get rid of me if you wanted” she winked breaking into the first smile he has seen in what felt like a lifetime.

And he knew it was going to be ok.

Maybe not them as a couple, but them as friends. Jennifer as a person. The things that mattered, they would be ok.

As he watched her walk slowly to the car he suddenly felt sick. No, he didn’t want this. He wanted that girl who took him to crazy concerts when they were way too young. Bought sheets from a store just to climb out a window with so that Alfred wouldn’t get mad at them.

He wanted the girl who he spent a million nights just sitting there watching movies eating cereal and laughing so hard that they couldn’t breathe. 

He wanted the girl who was openly sobbing over the dead body of a young boy because any loss of life was worth grieving.

He wanted the girl who believed so hard in the goodness of a killer that she put her life on the line to prove it.

He wanted the girl who wrote hero on his arm.

He wanted Jennifer.

–10 years later-

“It just makes me sooo ANGRY” Ray snarled smoke coming out his mouth as his pupils turning to slits. Slowly Jen leaned over her chair picking up her fire extinguisher. Her face calm as her eyes never left the boy. Ray let out a loud roar fire flying from his mouth almost setting Jennifer on fire if she hadn’t moved her head down. flames flickered catching onto the top of the chair she was sitting on. Getting up Jennifer quickly extinguished the fire.

“Feel better?” she asked turning to the boy. Ray looked up at her still panting and nodded.

“Good, How about we have our next session outside. Maybe destroy a few hay bales or something? Get some of this… aggression out.”

The rest of the session went pretty well all things considered and after Ray left Jennifer couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she picked up singed pillows and dusting them off. She was going to need new covers for them. 

“And I thought my job was dangerous.”

Jennifer turned letting out a soft laugh, “This is why I can’t have nice things.”

Dick laughed picking up her fire extinguisher raising an eyebrow handing it to her. “Glad to see you are still prepared, though.” Jennifer smiled taking it.

“Want some pasta carbonara?”

“Alfred?”

“Yeah, Faith may have told himI was working in Canada for the week and he mothered her,” Jennifer said referring to her younger sister who had moved in with her after the death of their parents. The younger O'Neal had Alfred and Bruce wrapped around her little finger. Not that eirther of them would ever admit it. 

“Mothered her, I like that.”

Jennifer placed two plates on her kitchen island before pulling the left overs from the oven. “that man can make an mean Italian dish.”

“I mean, against your standards,” Dick said flashing her a sly smile. His eyes holding a spark of mischief.

“Hey! I make a GREAT bowl of popcorn thank you very much. I’m lucky, though, Faith isn’t that bad at cooking when she’s not tracking blood all over my couch.” Like her sister Faith had taken up some "nighttime activities" although unlike her sister she seemed to take to it much better. 

Dick grinned sheepishly as he took his plate taking a seat on a stool. “Yeah… about that I know I promised to look after her.”

“The arm broken in two places was new.” Jennifer dead panned. It wasn't Dick's fault. Unlike Jennnifer who always looked before she leaped, weighing the pros and cons, Faith swandove into any action without giving it a second thought. 

“Hey!” Dick’s cheeks flashed red knowing he had messed up, He knew how important Faith’s safety was to Jennifer. And even now, almost 7 years later, Jennifer's happiness was one of the most important things to him. “I can’t stop her, that girl doesn't just leap into danger, she headbuts it. Especially if Tim’s involved.”

“What am I going to do with that little one?” Jennifer sighed pouting herself and Dick a glass of wine. 

“If I remember you once ran in front of a whole army of gum men to stop them from shooting Nicole--”

Faith sighed as she opened the door to the apartment cutting Dick off. With her light brown hair in a messy poney tail dressed in leggings and a tank, the younger girl had obvoiusly just came from a run. Pulling her headphones out of her ears she kicked off her sneakers leaving them in the hallway. With the clunky cast on her arm, her normally easy ruteen had been a bit of a struggle but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

She was about to call for her sister when she paused, hearing laughter.

Slowly she walked toward the kitchen where she saw Dick laughing with Jennifer who was doubled over.

“And then the Riddler…”

“Oh my God STOP!!!”

“What’d I miss?” Faith asked walking into the kitchen. Jen looked up wiping away a few tears while Dick sat there smiling ear to ear. In fact, in the year or so Faith had gotten to hang out with Dick she had never seen him smile that wide. He seemed so relaxed and just purely enjoying himself. While she knew Jennifer had a way of putting people at ease Dick seemed to almost bask her presence. Pulling up a stool she scooted next to her sister taking a bite of her food.

“I should head out, we are still working on that case…”

“Do you need help?” Faith asked eagerly, a mouth full of food.

“Not until your arm heals,” Jennifer said

“But I’m so booooaaarrrddd” the younger girl groaned throwing her head back. if she didn't see some action soon she was seriously going to throw herself out the window. 

“You could always help me do some profiles on criminals.” her older sister said nodding toward the case file Dick had dropped off.

“Uhhhh.” Faith moaned resting her head on the countertop "That sounds like nerd stuff". Dick let out a small chuckle.

“Aww come on,” He said walking over gently patting her head, “Not all hero work is punching bad guys.”

“Now you sound like Tim.” Faith mumbled glancing up from where her head was resting on the counter top. Tim was always telling her to slow down, think about what she was doing. But thinking meant standing still... and Faith didn't like standing still. 

Dick chuckled, “On that note, I’m outta here.”

Jen held up the case files, “I’ll have these for you tomorrow.”

Dick reached out for a moment but then pulled away, hesitant, “Yeah…” Jennifer stood up rolling her eyes as she held her arms open pulling him in for a quick hug. He may have held slightly to close for just a moment too long but the older O’Neal sister decided not to say anything. “Ok, see you tomorrow.”

He paused one more time at the entrance of the kitchen and Jennifer flashed him a smile giving him a short wave.

“Good-Bye”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can always connect with me on my Tumblr Melyaliz 
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Please leave a comment/kudos/bookmark if you enjoyed!   
> Regardless you are AMAZING!


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